There are 40,000 nurses in the greater Houston area. They can be found in delivery rooms and neonatal ICUs and nurseries. They are on the front lines in war, peace, mission fields, and whenever and wherever a disaster strikes.

They are men and women who have learned and honed their skills, excelled clinically, studied, graduated and committed themselves, professionally, to take care of friends, family, neighbors and strangers of all ages, whether at the bedside, through research, policy-making, in emergency settings or education.

Nursing is a calling, a passion, a commitment, a selfless undertaking, a lifelong devotion, a mindset and a core value for caring for patients of all ages throughout their life cycles.

For the past 12 years, the Houston Chronicle has joined with organizations around the country to recognize, honor and celebrate these often behind-the-scenes heroes of our community.

And, again this year, from hundreds of nominations, a distinguished panel of judges has chosen 10 outstanding nursing professionals to represent thousands of their colleagues in the annual Salute to Nurses.

Held during National Nurses Week, May 6-12, this year's Salute to Nurses Luncheon - presented by HC Media Group and Health Zone - was on May 9 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. During the celebration, the Houston Chronicle recognized 100 nurses, including the Top 10, and awarded $1,500 scholarships to five outstanding nursing students.

"We realize the value of nurses in providing high quality patient care," Reiter said. "It's important to us to publicly acknowledge that nurses are an important presence in caring for all the patients in Houston and its surrounding communities."

As a nurse for the past 38 years, Reiter said she became a nurse because she originally thought she wanted to be a doctor. However, during her education, she became aware she much preferred a hands-on experience at the bedside.

"I heard my friends in nursing school talking about what they were doing and I discovered I, too, wanted to touch a patient's life. I wanted to make a difference, and to this day, I never regretted my decision," Reiter said.

An RN for the past 41 years, McGinity said she first wanted to be a nurse at age 6 when she broke her arm.

"I was taken to Misericordia Hospital and was cared for by a Dominican Order Nurse, St. Maureen Michael," she said. "During high school, I participated in St. Vincent Teens, a program where we wore green-and-white striped uniforms and worked in the hospital every summer."

Nursing continued its magnetic attraction to the young nurse as she moved through her career.

"I found I could do many, many things, including clinical nursing, administration and consulting," she said.

Reiter said she sees the ultimate advantage of a career in nursing is the variety of challenges the field of nursing offers.

"The nice thing about being a nurse is that, in 38 years, I've worked as a staff nurse at the bedside, a consultant, professor, CNO (chief nursing officer) and nurse director. Nursing remains a very vital profession where you can connect your interest on many different levels," she said.

National Nurses Week

The 2013 National Nurses Week is May 6-12 and ends with a celebration of the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

"I don't think I appreciated Florence Nightingale when I first became a nurse," Reiter said, "but as I've gotten older, I appreciate her for her vision.

"She was a radical for her time. When women were supposed to get married and have families, her family allowed her to be educated and travel to war zones. She demanded that the nurses and doctors wash their hands and that patient areas be made a clean environment. She was far ahead of her time."

The following outstanding nurses have been selected this year to represent nurses across the city and in every suburb and neighboring community in the greater Houston area:

Little Nancy celebrated her first birthday a few weeks ago. A nurse named Kym, working in an excellent hospital facility known for its outstanding care, helped make Nancy's birthday possible.

Described by her colleagues as a compassionate professional and an excellent clinician, Kym Fox, RN at St. Luke's The Woodlands Hospital, always had wanted to become a teacher until an Oak Ridge high school classmate was stricken with cancer. Witnessing the medical care and the treatment her friend received made Fox change her life goals and, after graduation, pursued her nursing degree at Lone Star College - Tomball.

"In the early morning of April 23, 2012, just around shift change, we received a call from the emergency room. EMS had just arrived with an unresponsive patient, approximately seven months pregnant, and they needed our help immediately. I arrived in the trauma room just as the patient was being intubated.

"Assessment of the infant became my primary focus as I assessed the fetal heart tones via Doppler and then initiated the response team (obstetrician on call, neonatologist, anesthesiologist, our unit to prepare for immediate cesarean section and resuscitation of the newborn).

"Assisting the ER staff with lab draws, I watched the team - from the ER, L&D and ICU - working together to provide the patient with excellent care. Depending on each other for their specialized ability, everyone's focus was doing whatever necessary to help the patient.

"As we stabilized the patient and prepared her for transfer to L&D, she appeared to be having seizures and continued to be unresponsive as we transported her to labor and delivery operating room. An emergency cesarean section was performed. Baby "Nancy" was resuscitated and transferred to the NICU for further care by the NICU team.

"ICU nurses and I transferred the patient to CT for a scan of her head before moving her to the ICU. In ICU, my patient remained intubated and heavily sedated. Her significant other was at her bedside as often as possible and was relaying information to her family, living in another country.

"As the nurse who had taken care of this patient during delivery, I felt compelled to be with her as much as possible. I wanted her to know that someone was pulling for her, praying for her, just there for her.

"Over the next week, I visited her several times a day and asked her significant other what her wishes were in regard to breastfeeding. When he told me she had planned to breast feed - and was looking forward to it, with his permission and the agreement of her physicians, I began to pump her breasts, day and night, in the hope that when she woke up, she could eventually feed her baby.

"After a few days, however, the doctors had to place a chest tube, so it was decided to let her breast milk dry up. When this determination was made, I bought chilled cabbage leaves and placed them on her breasts every few hours to relieve any pain or discomfort as her body stopped manufacturing milk.

"Approximately a week after she came into the hospital, she opened her eyes, and it was wonderful to finally have her squeeze my hand on command and look at me with both fear and understanding as I told her that her baby was OK. This was, indeed, a milestone, but because her left side had very limited movement, I knew she had a long road ahead.

"Over the next few weeks, as the patient regained her strength, I visited her each day, arranged for her baby, who had been transferred to Texas Children's Hospital, to visit my patient. It was truly amazing.

"One day, my phone rang and it was work. They told me my patient had pulled her tracheostomy out and wanted to talk to me. It made me cry to finally hear her voice. She told me hi and thank you. When I went to see her that day she gave me a big hug.

"Our bond continued to grow; it was now a friendship. Six weeks after being brought to our hospital and after physical therapy, great nursing care and sheer determination, my patient was transferred to a rehab facility and her baby was discharged home, and when the patient was transferred, I continued daily visits. After one week of rehab, the patient was discharged home.

"When I hold her baby and sit talking with her, I can't help but feel truly blessed to be a nurse who got to be a part of her life."

Said Fox, "This situation was life-changing, for the patient and for me. To be a part of seeing the miracle of life - from where she was when she came in to where she is now - I was privileged to be a small part of her big miracle. I am so passionate about what I do. I feel blessed to be led into nursing and into OB and to see the miracle of life. To be included with families who bring life into the world is a big honor."

Doris Blakeslee Yordanoff's job is unique, although she doesn't work in a physician's office, a school, clinic or in a hospital, but she considers it the best in the world.

As nurse manager for Dominican Sisters of Houston, a Catholic religious order, Yordanoff is responsible for Dominican nuns, at the Villa - the Dominican Retirement Center - built on the former site of their Mother House on Almeda Road, and she is responsible for the health care of the sisters at their missions in Louisiana, several cities in Texas, Guatamala City, Guatamala and California.

There are 76 members of the order, and this outstanding nurse is accountable for each sister's wellness, their care during illness (those working at their missions come to Houston for treatment) and end-of-life issues. The youngest of the Dominican Sisters is 33 and the eldest is 98, and as Yordanoff said, "is still going strong with her walker."

For more than 125 years, the Dominican Sisters of Houston have served Houston, Galveston, the Sabine Area and other parts of Texas, California and Guatemala.

Growing up Catholic, Yordanoff graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School in 1948. She decided to become a nurse in high school because she wanted to help others and worked in the summers at St. Joseph.

"My hospital experience confirmed my career in nursing because it seemed so fulfilling and important," she said.

Yordanoff earned her RN at St. Joseph School of Nursing's three-year program, where she graduated in 1951.

"At that time, all the nursing students lived in the convent, where the sisters kept an eye on us," she said, "and you couldn't marry until after graduation.

"My mother and family were very supportive and I received invaluable guidance from Sister Martina Casey (now deceased) of the CCVI Order while I was in school. She was a wonderful nurse and my mentor for years."

Returning to the classroom at Sacred Heart Dominican College, Doris earned her BSN in 1954 and her master's degree in education in 1961 before taking a job, teaching nurses and training them for the bedside.

"Although Sacred Heart is now closed, because I went there, I renewed some of my acquaintances when I came to The Villa 20 years ago," she said.

As Sr. Mary Magdalen Hanel, OP, wrote, "I am nominating Doris because I truly have never known a nurse as completely devoted to her patients as Doris is. Doris has worked for the Dominican Sisters of Houston for almost twenty years. She is the nurse manager (and the only nurse) at our retirement home where our elderly and infirm sisters reside.

"Doris' job is a ministry for her," Sr. Mary Magdalen said. "She is spiritually motivated to do her job, and because of that, everything she does is out of love and respect for her patients. Every morning, Doris attends chapel at our retirement home with the sisters and prays afterward with the sisters who are bedridden and unable to attend chapel.

"Doris is on call 24/7, and when she is not at work, she calls her staff at every shift change to get an update on her patients. Often tasks are not done or are not done to her satisfaction, so she will come to our retirement home during the night or on the weekend to personally take care of what needs to be done.

"Again Doris' spirituality drives her care-giving at this time in her patient's life. Her ministry for the dying is so complete, loving and extraordinarily hands-on, and she is present to nurse, pray, comfort, and aid family members. Death is a sacred time for Doris, and her care for the dying is sacred as well.

"My work is challenging," Yordanoff said, "and I feel these are women who have devoted their lives to educating and caring for others - some in leadership positions - are deserving of the best care possible.

"It helped me a lot that I had gone to school here, but most Importantly, I have earned their respect and trust, so they know I am doing the best I can."

Her passion for nursing and the patients in her care provide her with a great deal of satisfaction, and their gratitude "is more precious than diamonds. I love what I do. It keeps me going," she said.

"Biby Samuel, RN, is a nurse who does not know he is awesome," wrote Frances Hodgkins in her nomination. "Really, he thinks he is just a regular person and doesn't know the impact he has on his colleagues and his patients.

"He cares for the newly injured veterans who are fresh from war, active-duty veterans, older veterans from the Vietnam era and veterans of an era when the U.S. was not at war - and not only does he care for the veteran soldier, he also cares for the veteran's family.

"Biby Samuel's holistic work at the bedside extends to creating healing for the veterans who have to adjust to the new reality of being paralyzed. He spends long hours standing at the bedside and listening to the stories of the newly injured, and all those who have been challenged to live with useless arms and non-responsive legs.

"This quiet, unassuming nurse inspires hope and courage in all of his patients. He is a Warrior Nurse, attending to the individual soldier and creating a world of hope for the individual in his care because he is ready to fight against disease and infirmity."

Samuel, who began his career in the information technology field, soon discovered his need to help others - more than was possible in his job.

"I have several aunts who are nurses, and they encouraged me," he said.

About that same time, through an arrangement by their families, Samuel and his wife (also a nurse and also from India) met and married. Today, they are the parents of a four-month-old baby girl.

As his nomination reflects, "Biby is a relatively young nurse, but a nurse who has wisdom beyond his years and his personal work with each veteran is his specialty, and I am proud to nominate him for one of the top nurses in Houston this year, or any year.

"He is a quiet soul who traverses this life with a soft step and a big impact in his energetically quiet way. His exceptional work involves the bedside care of the individual patient.

As he explains his work, "Every night, every one of my patients gets a new sheet and a Chux. (A 'Chux' is an under-pad) These patients have to lie in these beds for months at a time, and the least I can do is give them my attention and keep them clean and comfortable."

"I believe Biby's approach to each patient is exceptional because it is this simple act of charity that impacts the patient experience in so many ways," Hodgkins said. "Paraplegic and tetraplegic patients are mostly unable to move their lower extremities, and many cannot move arms or use their hands. They spend hours in beds. For a veteran soldier, this is sometimes the test of a lifetime.

"Though Biby's care and his acts of pure nursing, he increases the ability of the patients to have hope. He helps his patients understand that, even though the body has lost the ability to respond, that there are reasons to believe that life is still worth living - that there is still someone who will fight for them. He keeps them safe and stands guard over health to fight sickness and to keep the enemy of despair from advancing.

"This is one of the most important aspects of nursing - the embodiment of nursing - and the kind of nursing Florence Nightingale would want - and expect - for her patients.

"Nursing is a profession unlike any other profession," he said. "As long as you complete the education and pass all the requirements, you can become a nurse, but to be a nurse, you can change lives. I learned this from watching my coworkers work so diligently with a patient who had been in an auto accident and was paralyzed when he was admitted to the spinal cord unit. Through the care he got, I watched as that patient was able to walk out of this unit - and for any spinal cord unit at any hospital, that was a huge achievement. And for the nurses, the reward is something words cannot explain.

"As a nurse, I often must overcome the challenge of finding out what the patient needs after taking time to understand how they communicate and then find the right words. I want to understand why they are feeling down, why they may not be talking that day. Between every patient and their nurse, there's a trust and a bond that occurs. They - the patient and the family - come to depend upon you and in being a trusted member of their team, I have an opportunity to serve."

Once upon a Christmas, a little 5-year-old girl from Beaverton, Ala., discovered a doctor's kit under the tree for her. Having only the neighborhood dogs and cats to "doctor," Debbe Taylor bandaged their wounds, gave them medications and soothed their pains.

"After that, I knew I wanted to care for the sick," Taylor said, "and I had a third cousin who was nursing assistant and then went on to become an RN - and she influenced me."

Attending Tom Bevil Junior College in Hamilton, Ala., and earning her LVN license, Taylor applied to hospitals in Dallas and Houston. She accepted an offer from The Methodist Hospital, moved within two weeks and has been here ever since.

She's also earned her associate degree and has taken classes at Houston Community College and Regents College, but she's also been extremely busy in her nursing career, as Dr. Keith O. Reeves indicated in her nomination:

"Debbe has been my office nurse for 31 years. During that time, she has:

been the initial and primary contact source for over 4,000 women this practice has provided obstetrical care for; counseled thousands of women about when to get pregnant, how to get pregnant, what to expect while they are pregnant, how to stay pregnant, what to avoid while pregnant, and most importantly, how to know when, after nine long months, it is time to call the obstetrician and head for the hospital; comforted hundreds of women through the sorrow of miscarriage, held several hundred hands of laboring patients (when she could get away from the office), and posed for scores of photographs of mothers with their newborns when they come to the office for their six-week post-partum check-up.

Taylor said, "I like making people feel good. When a patient doesn't feel well, I listen to them. When they say, 'You made my day,' that's better than anything."

On several occasions, she has been perceptive enough on the phone or via e-mail to determine when someone was in real trouble, and needed emergency surgery for a tubal pregnancy or another OB/GYN emergency.

"Debbe has a great sense of humor. Her personality is bigger than life and boisterous. She is friendly, compassionate and truly loves each patient," Reeves wrote, "and she has been seeing many of them for so many years, she greets them with a warm 'How ya doin?' and a big hug.

"This nurse remembers names of her patients' children, spouses, major life events in her patient's past and knows when empathy is more important than a joke or a grin.

"She does not leave until the last e-mail is answered, the last phone call is returned, the last surgical case is scheduled or the last prescription for birth control pills is refilled. Debbe is also a diplomat and is confident enough in her knowledge base and skill set that she does not hesitate, (in a nonthreatening fashion) to come into my office and challenge a decision I have made, suggesting a more compassionate approach or noting a lab result that does not correlate with a patient's clinical condition.

"Coming from humble roots, this outstanding nurse was born in rural Alabama, and lost both of her parents in an auto accident when she was only 2 years of age. She was raised by her grandmother ... and had to put herself through nursing school with no outside assistance.

"Thirty-one years ago, Debbe moved to Houston and went to work for The Methodist Hospital, and eventually I was fortunate enough for her to come to work in my office.

"Debbe Taylor is a compassionate tiger, and a blessing for those who find their way into her care."

Taylor said, "Houston has so many great nurses. Whenever you can make a difference, whenever a patient says, 'You made my day,' - well, knowing that gives me a warm feeling - and really makes me happy."

An unassuming lump under his right arm when Richard Wang was 9 years old was diagnosed as rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive muscle cancer. He was immediately taken to MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he was treated with surgery, radiation and chemotherapy during a period of 12 months.

"I always tell people I had a very good experience while I was hospitalized, particularly because the nurses who took care of me made an effort to make me feel normal," Wang said.

During his time as a patient at MDA, Wang became involved in the art project.

"I was hooked quickly," he said.

Several of his pictures were published as cards and featured in the MD Anderson Children's Art Project.

"Art project volunteers taught art classes for the patients, and when they printed my pictures on cards, I was very excited," Wang said, "and I got to attend for free since I was a winner."

After successful treatment, his cancer has been in remission. Wang graduated from Clements High School in 2003 and attend The University of Texas at Austin, where he majored in engineering, "but there was no connection, so I finished my freshman year and enlisted in the U.S. Army in June," he said.

Exploring the possible choices for his role in the military, the then 19-year-old was attracted to the idea of taking care of others, much like the extensive volunteer work he had done in high school. Wang completed his training as an LVN at Fort Sam Houston and eventually was deployed to Iraq in 2007. From 2004-2010, he served in the U.S. Army as an LVN/ combat medic, spending more than a year in a combat support hospital's ICU in Baghdad, Iraq.

"Serving as a medic, I learned many skills I wouldn't have received in civilian nursing," he said. "Most of my patients were detainees (the enemy) and under the terms of the Geneva Convention, it was our duty to take care of them as we would our own soldiers."

Wang carried this patient care experience back to civilian life and after completing his active duty commitment in the military, decided to become a nurse, attending Houston Community College to earn an associate degree in nursing before graduating from The University of Texas School of Nursing.

He applied to just one job following graduation - a clinical nursing position at MD Anderson, the institution he credits with saving his life. Since beginning his nursing career there two years ago, this nurse has been named on every nursing honor roll and is frequently mentioned by patients as being the most caring nurse they have ever had.

Every summer, he volunteers with pediatric cancer patients at MD Anderson's Camp Star Trails, the camp he attended when he was a child. In 2012, he won MD Anderson's Legacy Award, given to a childhood cancer survivor who gives back to current patients and dedicates himself to serving the community.

As his nominator Erica Co-Reyes stated, "Working with an adult oncology population, Richard often has patients who are incredibly anxious about their treatments and its side effects. One patient in particular, an elderly man with some trouble breathing because of advanced lung cancer, felt very anxious about being in the hospital. He had no family with him, and would push the call bell multiple times an hour for no apparent reason, interrupting the work flow of the nurses on the floor.

The first time Richard became the patient's nurse, he too was worried about how much attention the patient would need. So, he began his shift by spending a long time talking to the patient and addressing all his needs at the moment - arranging the patient's bedding, making sure water was readily available, and assuring the patient he could press the call bell at any time, and that Richard would be readily available to help. Richard also told the patient he would come by every 15 minutes to check on him, regardless of whether the patient pressed the call bell or not. Finally, Richard asked if he could leave the patient's door open, so he could see inside the room at any time and so the patient wouldn't feel isolated.

The patient was so surprised by the incredible care and attention Richard gave him - he hardly pressed the call bell the entire night. Richard kept his word, walking by the room every 15 minutes and stopping in to check on his patient. At the end of the night, the man, overwhelmed by such nursing, told Richard he was so grateful and that Richard was the best nurse he had ever had.

"Richard treats every patient this way," Co-Reyes noted. "He takes the time to know their concerns, fears, and goals - and he does everything in his power to help them. Richard Wang is an amazing nurse, but more importantly, he is an amazing person."

"Nursing is one of the most awesome jobs," he said. "We can make a direct impact on the life of every person we touch. For me, it's almost spiritual, being able to help others uplifts me and, in doing so, this makes my life that much more worth living."

Tiffany Helmle, RN, always knew what nursing was - it was exactly what she wanted to do.

"In high school, I took advanced science courses and as well as really liking science, I really wanted to work with kids," she said.

After graduating from Sam Rayburn High School, she attended The University of Texas School of Nursing, where she earned her RN.

"When I began working as a nurse, I had two amazing preceptors who also were my mentors - Stephanie Mosely and Sharon Wooley - in the emergency center. "Emergency centers are fast-paced, and our preceptors not only wanted to teach us what they had learned from experience, but they also wanted us to be a part of the department. Every nurse in the emergency center has taught us something, and now that I am education coordinator for the center, I have been privileged to have a tremendous counterpart, Gayle Young; and an amazing leader, Gail Parazynski, our director, who has helped us maintain our focus on best practices, excellence in patient care and our personal growth," Tiffany said.

As a nurse, she sees the most difficult part of working in the emergency center as "the volume of patients we see. We have large numbers and we must decide who is sickest and who will be seen first. Of course, the difficult part is wanting to get to all the children at once. We are a Level I Trauma Center and share trauma victims with Memorial Hermann, which is also a Level I."

Initially, she said, caring for patients coming into the emergency center was often heart-wrenching.

"Now, actually having my own kids, when I see parents walking away from the hospital after a child has been hospitalized, I cannot imagine what they truly must be feeling," Helmle said. "We have a great support system, and after a difficult case, we have a debrief to make sure everyone on the team is OK. Then, our next focus is to make sure we improve our performance for the next case."

She said going through nursing school, she had difficulty finding her niche until her clinical rotation at Texas Children's Hospital.

"Children bring a beautiful innocence and so much joy, I found it very different, taking care of a child," she said.

She also gives of herself away from the bedside, as her nominator Elizabeth Wuestner stated: "I am nominating Tiffany because she contributed to the lives of so many tiny low-birthweight babies through the gift of donor milk.

"We are fortunate to have a milk bank at TCH that caters to moms of babies in the hospital and staff who are working. Tiffany made the most personal of choices when she decided to donate her extra milk. I think this says a lot for her character and her concern for the tiniest of patients we care for.

The following is a story from Jennifer Hansbro, a nurse manager at Texas Children's:

"Growing up, there is always that one friend that you make and keep forever. I have that friend. She and her husband have struggled to have a child. Last year, they got the happy news that they were having twins.

"Like most of us she really wanted to breast feed, and had read all of the advantages. Unfortunately due to her medications and the babies being premature, it was not working out, so she called me to see what to do. I mentioned that we use donor milk here in our nursery and asked if she was able to get that for her babies.

"Tiffany heard me talking about the situation one day and without pause spoke up. Tiffany has two young children including one still breast-feeding. She mentioned that she had way too much breast milk including some she would have to throw away if not used soon, and volunteered to donate breast milk to my friend. Needless to say I was so excited.

"I immediately called my friend to let her know. Tiffany volunteered health records if my friend wanted them as well. My friend not only agreed, she was in tears. We quickly set up a 'milk train' with me being the 'milk fairy.' Tiffany would pack up and lug an ice chest to work. Then I would take over to get it transported to my friend. Tiffany refused offers of gifts or money from my friend."

Helmle said, when she heard of the honor, "When I think of Salute to Nurses, I think of the nurses working at the bedside every day, taking care of the sickest kids. I look at them and know those nurses at the bedside are really the ones to be recognized. I was nominated simply for being kind, but I am truly honored."

When you first meet Kim Pham, you find yourself immediately at ease because of her easy laugh and her warm and genuine manner. A nurse for two years, Kim said she decided to be a nurse as a Clearbrook High School student in Friendswood while participating in Health Occupations Students of America, a national organization endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education and the Health Science Education Division of ACTE.

While completing her nursing degree at The University of Texas - Medical Branch in Galveston, she had - in her words - "the luxury of working in a float pool at UTMB." She also completed an externship at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, a clinical experience which didn't feel like working, said.

"I loved every minute," she said.

Julia Sarkar, Kim's MD Anderson colleague, wrote in her nomination:

"Kim has been a nurse for a short period of time. Nonetheless, she goes around on the unit offering assistance to everyone - the patients, families, her co-workers and the floaters. She is a friendly face to everyone, including the managers, and her co-workers voted her as Most Positive Attitude as well one of the top team players.

"She has grown to be an excellent clinician and serves as a mentor to her colleagues.

"Kim is not afraid of taking any patient as a new graduate nurse. Kim accepts assignments without question. Kim is always ready and has no complaints if she has admissions, discharges and transfers, especially on shift change - and she always follows up."

This is how Pham's coworkers describe her as a nurse:

"Kim participates in changes that occur on the floor. She continuously seeks out ways to improve patient care, educating the staff on changes and new implementations as well as new knowledge. She is very helpful in supporting her team members."

"Whenever a call light goes off, Kim does not hesitate to help. Whenever I need assistance cleaning a patient, Kim lends a hand and is proactive in providing the best care, such as getting all the supplies ready and getting skin protectant-barrier creams to prevent pressure ulcers.

"Two weeks ago, Kim cared for a 21-year-old male melanoma patient with LMD. The patient was bored since he has been in the hospital for eight weeks and verbalized to Kim that he could not sleep that night. Kim came back to the room and created a makeshift, basketball hoop and shot some hoops with him. The patient and his mom were really grateful for the time she spent with him.

"On a different occasion, Kim took care of a patient of the Muslim faith. Respecting the patient's cultural beliefs, Kim minimized interruptions during times of prayer, offered extra clean linens and towels for the patient's family members to kneel on while praying.

"Kim is really gentle with her patients. One of her patients stated she allayed their fears and anxiety as Kim sat with them during PICC insertion and talked to them throughout the procedure so they knew what to expect.

Here are some (verbatim) comments from Pham's patients (STAR cards):

"Kim Pham is great. She receives five stars."

"Kim has a nice personality. She makes you feel better even though you are not."

"Kim – for cheering me up when I'm feeling down. Hugging me when I cry. Understanding my fears and talking me through them. For being honest when it would be easier to lie. I wish all your nurses could be cloned from her."

"Kim – outstanding nursing. Very informative and caring. Really seemed as if she cared. Kind of people we need in nursing."

"Kim for her incredible knowledge and ability to explain easily what is going on. I so appreciate her patience and compassion. Excellent nurse."

"Kim, we loved your energy and the way you anticipated our needs. You were our night-time diva nurse - very knowledgeable and considerate with all your help."

Aside from being an exemplary clinician, bedside leader and colleague, Kim continues to be highly engaged in unit initiatives. She assists in language of caring check-offs, medical record audits, joint commission safety rounds, communication huddles and other performance-improvement projects.

Lavelle Grubb, RN, said her mother - a burn-unit nurse - was pregnant with her as she continued to work in a Galveston burn unit. Later, as a high school hospital volunteer, Grubb was able to watch her mother at work up close.

"It seemed to me that my mother's patients were grateful for even the small things Mother did to make them comfortable," she said, "and as I considered my options, I decided I'd like to be the same kind of nurse."

"When I transferred to Memorial Hermann's Burn Unit to work with adult patients, they created a position for me," Grubb said, "and over the years, I have continued to be challenged and learn something new every day.

"Nursing on a burn unit is very labor intensive. Many times the patients are in pain, which we are learning to better manage, and some are disfigured. It is a unique unit in the hospital, which is why we ask nurses who apply for jobs on this unit to come and spend a day on the floor with us as part of the hiring process."

Debra Mulkey, RN, wrote in Grubb's nomination:

"As a burn nurse for the past 30 years, Lavelle is the epitome of what a nurse should be - kind, caring, intelligent, hard-working, giving and a mentor. She goes out of her way to make her patients feel special and well cared for, while at the same time, giving them the best possible care.

"First working with children at Shriners in Galveston and then working with adults at Memorial Hermann at the John S. Dunn Sr. Burn Center, Lavelle has always advocated for her patients to make sure they are getting the best care, and she has a way of interacting with people that makes you feel you have known her your whole life.

"She is a wonderful preceptor, charge nurse and educator and has no problem getting down and dirty when things get crazy. When I first came to work in the John S. Dunn Sr., Burn Unit, one of the other nurses described Lavelle as 'being the type of person who would give you the shirt off her back.' And she is also a true friend who goes out of her way to care for others. She strives to be the best she can be, but at the same helps others to be their best, and Lavelle always 'has your back.'

"Lavelle keeps the big picture in mind, but remembers to do the little things, as well. When she worked at Shriners, she knew the children would be upset about how they looked, so she brought in individual hair ribbons, nail polishes, and special hats and toys for the children.

"One nurse tells the story about how, many years ago, Lavelle washed a homeless patient's clothes so that when he left the hospital, he could feel 'human' again.

"When a coworker was out sick for several months, Lavelle made it a point to visit her regularly and brought home-cooked meals. She also is nationally known in the United States for being an innovator in burn care, and she is a National Faculty of the American Burn Association.

"She coordinates Advanced Burn Life Support classes quarterly to educate doctors, nurses, EMTs and paramedics on how to stabilize and care for burn patients in that crucial first 24 hours.

"In addition to her nursing duties, Lavelle teaches classes at the hospital, serves on numerous hospital committees, and gives presentations at nursing and medical schools.

"My first love is being at the bedside," Grubb said, "and it is amazing to me how much in teaching, research and mentoring of young nurses you can accomplish at the bedside. "

In spite of her stellar resume and myriad contributions to the care of burn patients, Grubb is also humble.

"I was educated by Dominical nuns from kindergarten through high school, and they taught us how to love and care for our fellow human beings. Not everyone can nurse burn patients, but I've been blessed with mentors throughout my career who inspired and encouraged me."

"She was such a good nurse and helped my mother so much, my parents wanted to honor her by giving me her name," Mathew said. "I think my parents thought if they gave me her name, perhaps I would become a nurse."

Educated at New Delhi, India's Holy Family Hospital, Mathew graduated at the top of her class 28 years ago and said her two inspirations to enter nursing were her namesake, who did such a great job delivering her, and her Catholic school education, where she was taught how to treat others.

Emilyn Rodriguez, Brigit's colleague at Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, described how this remarkable nurse quietly and unassumingly impacts patients, her fellow nurses and physicians alike in her nomination:

"I have known Brigit since she began working here five years ago, and I can honestly say, Brigit is one of the best charge nurses I have worked with.

"She stays focused and calm and is able to make well-thought-out decisions. Her staff loves working with her because she is always ready to help them. She is very approachable and very competent in so many ways. She is good in starting IVs, handling difficult patients, resolving conflicts with patients, their family or even doctors.

"She is respected by the physicians because she is always kind, mild-mannered, a very good listener and an amazing critical thinker. Even in chaotic situations, Brigit's serenity overrides everyone's emotions and they seem to be able to communicate more effectively.

"It is awesome to see how Brigit guides all of us to think through a situation in a logical, step-by-step manner. This is her forte - being motherly to all the nurses and her desire to enrich them as clinicians by helping them think and learn from every situation.

Brigit is a true professional and nursing is her passion. She said her father instilled in her to "strive for success by doing what is right, in a right way and at the right time."

When told of her selection to the top 10 for this year's Salute to Nurses, Brigit immediately credited everyone around her. "First of all, I give thanks to God. Secondly, I am thankful to the individual who nominated me.

"Thirdly, I thanked my parents for giving me the opportunity for such good training, and I also thank Mother Theresa, who attended my graduation from nursing school because she gave a speech to remind each of us that we had been called to serve in a noble profession.

"I believe nursing it truly my calling. And while it is a challenging job, it is also extremely rewarding," she said. "I receive so much pleasure in seeing patients get well and leave with a smile. "They getting to go back and be with their families - that makes me happy."

"Brigit recently advanced her career to be RN III after rigorous process, which included writing several papers, panel interviews and several candidates to choose from. At the end of this process, she was awarded the Career Advancement and is only the fifth nurse to earn this recognition in our facility.

"She also obtained her certification for MSRN after passing a long and arduous testing procedure.

"At The Methodist Hospital - Sugar Land, Brigit is an active participant in several Shared Governance Councils - a member of Professional Development Council; Chair of Policy and Procedure Committee as well as co-chair for the Safety and Quality Council.

"She has received multiple team player awards, the Mother Theresa Award for Top Scholar in Midwifery Nursing and ICARE recipient in 2011 (people who get nominated for this exemplify our core values in everyday dealings – integrity, compassion, accountability, respect and excellence).

There are no nurses in her family. No high school hospital volunteer experiences to encourage her to be a nurse.

However, Tammy Welch wanted to make a difference, so she became a nurse. Her Salute to Nurses nomination contains accolade upon accolade - for being "an expert clinician, teacher, mentor to her peers and caring professional. In a time when many experienced nurses are leaving the bedside, Tammy continues to work tirelessly to care for her patients and help teach and mentor the next generation of nurses.

"Tammy is an excellent bedside nurse with expert clinical skills who loves working at the bedside and who cares for her patients as well as for their families.

"Tammy has that ability to make you feel like you are the most important person in the room; she gives patients so much more than nursing expertise; she gives a bit of herself. She really epitomizes the caring piece of our profession.

But it is Tammy's story of her patient Evan that demonstrates what so many nurses go through throughout their professional lives. "Caring" in the nursing profession demands so much from the individual, but not every nurse has the ability to touch lives the way Tammy has. Here is her story:

"The first time I met Evan, I was precepting a new nurse. She was in her last week of orientation and did most interventions on her own. Evan was 9 years old and shy, plus he did not feel well. To decrease his anxiety, I did not interact with Evan more than needed. Evan and his family were admitted and readmitted to CVICU for several months. I was not his primary nurse, but I took care of him often.

"My fondest memory was Christmas Eve 2011 when Evan was intubated and asked me to stay with him. His aunt was with him but not his parents, so we held hands and watched the movie, "Elf," together.